If two motorcycle enthusiasts are amazed by what is under the hood of a sports car? When they talk about Japanese British and French three-cylinder blocks? The engine in the Berkeley was a modular two-stroke system in which a twin was easily changed into a triple. Not such a best system by the way ...
Berkeley Cars Ltd from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire
That was the basis of the brand (you), produced between 1956 and 1960 polyester low-budget sports cars with engines from 322 cc to 692 cc and front-wheel drive.
Designer Lawrence "Lawrie" Bond had a lot of experience with fiberglass-reinforced polyester. Charles Panter from the Berkeley Coachworks factory was one of the largest British caravan makers. And he was looking for something to make outside the caravan season.
The men thought it would be a good plan to make a cheap, fast and beautiful sports car. A sports car that could also be used to win races.
The production was quite a success
The Berkeleys were certainly received in the USA as real fun mobile phones. We don't know if it was a climate change, but the British caravan market collapsed in 1960. And that also had consequences for car production. After more than four thousand Berkeleys were made, the story stopped. The production location was taken over by a company that produced women's underwear. We leave the pass for an open goal: "That can also be small and exciting" for what he is.
First with motorcycle blocks
The first Berkeley production car was the 'Sports' (type SA322), announced in September 1956 and produced between October 1956 and February 1957. Production started with two prototypes, which were tested enthusiastically in the neighborhood of Biggleswade in the late summer of 1956. Stirling Moss drove one at Goodwood in September, and the car was launched to the public at the London Motor Show in 1956 - a year earlier than the Lotus Elite, which also had a fiberglass-reinforced monocoque construction.
The engine was a British Anzani two-cylinder 322 cc two-stroke engine that supplied 15 hp and was mounted between the front wheels and provided the transmission with a chain and a three-speed gearbox. The motorcycle was already used by various motorcycle manufacturers such as Cotton and Greeves, but there was a Siba Dynastart in the Berkeley that provided the electricity supply and was also a starter motor.
Thirty horsepower from three cylinders
After 163 of the SA322s were produced, the SE328 model received an Excelsior engine from 328 cc with 18 hp. At the end of 1957 a new derivative model was introduced, which had an 30 hp, Excelsior three-cylinder 492 cc engine with three AMAL carburetors. This engine configuration was made possible by the vertically split crankshaft of the Excelsior engine and modular crankcase parts plus crankshaft, making adding a central cylinder relatively easy. A four-speed gearbox was standardized.
The three-cylinder were really fast.
And with such 700 cc ADHD people there was a very brave race. Because the suspension / handling of the Berkeleys was also very good. But the built-up crankshafts tended to twist. So often blocks broke. We found someone with the idea to provide the three-cylinder with 'real' crankshafts. Just here in the Netherlands. But for the time being he doesn't have the time for that yet. To be continued.
And the triple
